Car-brake



UNTTED STATES l PATENT OFFICE..

ROBERT H. BLACK, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `Patent No. 554,434, datedFebruary 11, 1896.

Application filed October 29, 1895. Serial No. 567,307. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that l`, ROBERT Il. BLACK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Homestead, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Oar-Brake, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in car-brakes designedespecially for use in connection with street-cars, to be used as asupplementary or elnergencybrake, or as the ordinary brake, whendesired.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and efficientbrake mechanism of durable construction, in which the brakeshoes may bequickly and vigorously applied to the wheels by spring-power.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the courseof the subjoined description.

The invention consists in a car-brake mechanism embodying certain novelfeatures and details of construction and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter fully described, illustrated in the drawings, and finallypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinalsection through a sufficient portion of a car to illustrate theapplication of the present improvement. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of thecar-truck frame, the car-body and flooring being removed to show thearrangement and operation of the improved brake mechanism. Fig. 3 is aplan viewv of the hand ratchet-lever by means of which the brakes areapplied.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figuresA of the drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the truck-frame ofa car of any ordinary description, and 2 the iiooring thereof.

3 designates a large spur gear-wheel, which is mounted upon a verticalshaft 4., arranged beneath the car-flooring and interposed between thesame and a transverse supporting bar or bracket 5 extending acrossbetween the side sills or wheel-pieces of the truck and having its endsbolted or otherwise secured thereto in any convenient manner.

G designates a smaller spur gear or pinion,

which is secured to and rotates with a vertical standard 7, the latterbeing mounted at its lower end in a transverselyprojecting bracket 8,arranged about in the same horizontal plane with the bracket 5, so as tobring the pinion 6 into horizontal alignment with the large spur-gear 3.The standard 7 passes upwardly through the flooring of the car, at thefront and rear platforms thereof, and is provided at its upper end witha series of teeth 9, disposed around the same, over which is placed thehub of a hand-lever 10, by means of which the standard is turned forwinding up the brake mechanism. provided with a centrally-pivoted anddoublepointed pawl 11, which is adapted to engage with the teeth of thestandard 7 in whichever direction it may be vibrated.

The swinging end of the hand-lever 10 is bifurcated or provided with twoseparate but integrally-formed handles 12, and intermediate said handlesis arrangedathumb or iingcr lever 13, which is pivoted to the hand-leverat the fork thereof. This thumb or iinger lever is of the elbow orbell-crank type, being provided with a short arm 1i, from which a rod 15extends to and connects pivotally with the double-pointed pawl l1 uponone side of the pivot thereof. By means of this arrangement it will beseen that by grasping the finger-lever 13 in conjunction with one 0r theother of the handles 12 ofthe handlever, the double-pointed pawl 11 maybe vibrated in such manner as to cause it to engage theteeth of thestandard 7 for turning said standard in the desired direction. Thestandard 7 is further provided with a ratchetwheel 16, keyed thereto andarranged just above the platform of the car, with which a foot-operatedpawl 17 is adapted to engage for holding the standard against turning,in a manner well understood.

The large spur-gear 3 is provided with a pin 18, projecting preferablyfrom the upper face thereof and located at a distance from the eenter ofsaid wheel equal to abouthalf the throw of the brake-shoes. From thispin a chain 19 extends to and connects with the free end of a strongspring 20, another similar chain 21 extending between said pin 18 andthe longitudinally-arran ged brake-rod 22. The spring This hand-lever isIDO 2O may be of any size, shape, or type, according to the desire ofthe manufacturer, and as may be found most expedient in practice, theessential point being that its free end shall have a movement equal tothe throw of the brake beams or shoes.

In operation the chain 1), which is interposed between the pin 1S on thespur-gear and the spring 20, is wound around the ver tical shaft 4 ofsaid spur-wheel by rotating the standard 7 and the spur-pinion securedto the lower end thereof and meshing with the large spur 3. The standard7 is prevented from turning backward by means of the pawl and ratchetdescribed, and the spring 20 is thus held compressed, with the chain 19,extending around the shaft 4, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2. Underthis adjustment the chain 21, which connects with the longitudinalbrake-rod 22, is slack. The spring 2O under these conditions operateswith reduced power upon the large spur-gear 3, but sufficient leverageis provided so that when the pawl 17 is thrown out of engagement withthe ratchet on the standard 7 said spring will quickly revolve the gear3, thereby drawing upon the chain 2l to an extent equal to twice thedistance of the pin 1S from the shaft Llplus one-half the diameter ofsaid shaft, or the distance which the chain extends around it. Under theproper adjustment of the chains 19 and 21 the slack in the brakemechanism will all be taken up by the time the pin 18 has traveledone-half its course. From this point on, the leverage on the chain 2l isgreatly increased, enabling the spring 2O to firmly and effectually setthe brakes. Should it be desired to still more firmly apply thebrakes,this

may be done by vibrating the hand-lever in the proper direction, theeffect of which will be to advance the pin 1S still farther in thecircle in which it travels, thus winding the chain-2l farther around thevertical shaft et.

It will be apparent that two separate pins may be employed on the largespur-gear in lieu of the single pin described, in which case one pinwill receive the spring-chain while the other will operate thebrake-chain. These pins may be arranged diametrically opposite or in anyposition found desirable. The brake mechanism hereinabove described isdesigned to be used in lieu of the ordinary brake mechanism or as asupplementary or emergency brake, for which purpose the device is welladapted by reason of the celerity with which the same operates.

If desired, the spring 2O may be dispensed with and the brakes applieddirectly by handpower, in the usual manner.

It will be apparent that any preferred form of hand lever or crank maybeused for turning the standard 7 and applying the brakes, and that otherchanges in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a car-brake mechanism, the combination with a gear-wheel mountedbeneath the car platform or iiooring, of a chain interposed between saidwheel and the brake beam and shoes, a second chain interposed betweensaid gearwheel and an actuating -spring, and means for rotating saidgear-wheel for adjusting the brake mechanism, substantially in themanner and for the purpose specified.

2. In a car-brake mechanism, a gear-wheel mounted to revolve beneath theplatform or flooring of the car and provided with acrankpin, incombination with a spring for actuating said gear-wheel also arrangedbeneath the car body or platform, a chain connecting said spring andcrank-pin on the gear-wheel, a second chain connecting said crank-pinwith the brake-rod, and means for rotating and holding said gear-wheelat the desired point, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a car-brake mechanism, a spur gearwheel mounted on a verticalshaft beneath the car platform or flooring and provided with acrank-pin, a spring for actuating said gearwheel arranged beneath thecar body, a chain interposed between and connecting said crank-pin andspring and adapted to wind around said shaft, and a second chaininterposed between said crank-pin and the brake-- rod and adapted to bewound around the shaft of the spur-gear by the tension of the spring, incombination with a revoluble standard provided with a hand-lever at itsupper end, and a pinion or small gear fixed Aupon the lower end of saidstandard and meshing with said spur gear, all arranged for jointoperation substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT Il. BLACK.

Vitnesses WILLIAM TUNs'rALL, FRANK EVANS.

IOO

